The month of October is bringing along a lot of challenges for the Auburn Tigers, who are trying to stay on a positive track after taking down the Vanderbilt Commodores to cap off September.
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The first of those is coming on Saturday, when the Tigers face their first true road test of 2026 against the Tennessee Volunteers in Neyland Stadium.
Tennessee enters the weekend action sitting at 3-1 on the year and 0-1 in SEC play after falling to the No. 1 Texas Longhorns 20-17.
In the battle of two perennial conference foes, it was Steve Sarkisian’s Longhorns that got off to the quick start, driving down the field on the game’s opening drive in seven plays to score on a 9-yard run from Raleek Brown, making it 7-0.
The Volunteers ultimately responded to the score with a long drive of their own, going 60 yards in nine plays. However, Josh Heupel’s crew came out of it with just a field goal, as Cooper Ranvier knocked one home from 33 yards.
The rest of the first quarter was silent, but Texas took its time and took another lengthy possession into the beginning of the second quarter and extended the lead back out to seven with a 22-yard kick from Gianni Spetic.
That was the end of the scoring for the first half of play, but the second half brought along some fireworks that helped elevate the game’s showing.
After gaining just three yards on three plays, the Longhorns punted the ball with just more than 11 minutes in the third. On the return, Tennessee defensive back Qua Moss drove towards the right side of the field and found a gap, taking the ball back to the end zone for a 57-yard punt return touchdown to make it 10-10.
On the ensuing possession, Texas got into field goal range but then stalled, sending out Spetic to drill a 44-yard field goal to put it back in front at 13-10.
In the fourth quarter, the Longhorns extended their lead a little bit further to make it a two-possession game, as an eight-play, 60-yard drive resulted in another touchdown from Brown, this one being on a 4-yard run.
However, an 80-yard drive nearing the final minutes of the game saw Faizon Brandon launch a pass for a 30-yard touchdown to Mike Matthews, pulling the Volunteers to within three points.
A wild onside kick sequence then ensued, one that resulted in Tennessee getting the ball back with a chance to tie or win.
However, three consecutive penalties on the final drive set the Volunteers out of field goal range, forcing them to ultimately put up a final deep heave to the end zone that wound up being incomplete, giving Texas a 20-17 victory.
Brandon finished his first SEC start 17-for-29 through the air for Tennessee with 145 yards and one touchdown, posting a 55.8 quarterback rating for the afternoon.
The rushing attack was lackluster against a stout Longhorns front, as the Volunteers only managed 70 yards on the ground, with 67 of them coming from DeSean Bishop and Daune Morris.
Meanwhile, Matthews’ 30-yard score was a big play in helping make him the leading receiver on the day for Tennessee with four receptions for 72 yards and a touchdown. Braylon Staley also had a productive afternoon, catching seven passes for 45 yards.
Arion Carter led the way for the Volunteers in tackles, continuing a productive year with 11 total tackles and 0.5 tackles for loss. Tyree Weathersby also was a force in the backfield, getting six total tackles and 2.5 sacks of the team’s six on the day.
Auburn and Tennessee will meet for the first time since 2020 on Saturday at 2:30 p.m. CST in a game that will be broadcast on ESPN.
Auburn Undercover is an independent Auburn sports media company covering Auburn athletics, recruiting and insider news.
